Riding in Oregon with friends, family, and self, 21-26MAY2014
I had always wished to return to Portland to do some rides that I had tried as a kid, but which didn’t end so well. I wished to ride the Gorge, do Larch Mountain, and run around a number of the places I used to ride bicycles when I was growing up in Portland. So, this adventure gave me that opportunity. I started by driving down to Portland after work of Wednesday evening. The next morning, Aaron H. came to meet me at the hotel, and we took off north. Riding across the I-205 bridge, we rode eastward along the Columbia River, following the Washugal River once we reached Camas, WA. A short segment brought us back to the Columbia River highway, where we passed Beacon Rock, crossed the Bridge of the Gods (photo above, with Aaron showing off his banana), and then rode back along the old Columbia River highway. The bicycle trail was now complete all the way out to Cascade Locks, though my cycle instructions did not realize that. The ride up to Crown Point and then back to Gresham and Portland was exhilarating. Here is the Garmin data…

The next day, I touched base with brother Gaylon, and rode a ways out the Springwater Trail to Boring, OR. It was boring, and so we turned around and came back. Garmin data…

On Saturday, I had wanted to ride up Larch Mountain with Aaron, but we decided to do something a little less strenuous, and so I came down to Salem, to do a fantastic and beautiful ride with him in the foothills of the Coast Range, and through the farmland of the Willamette Valley. Here is the Garmin for that…

Sunday was a day to relax. I spent about 4 hours with Lewis, which was much needed. I then spent time later again with Gaylon. The weather was drizzly, and I was worried about Memorial Day, Monday, where it was supposed to rain heavily. On awakening, the weather was cloudy with sun, so I decided to go for it. On Gaylon’s advice, I headed down the I-205 corridor to Sunnyside Road, over to 152nd, down to the Clackamas River, and then back the Clackamas to Oregon City, crossing the old Oregon city bridge into West Linn, riding up to Terwilliger Blvd, headed up Terwilliger past the medical school, (seeing the Terwilliger trail which I jogged many times while in medical school), crossing back across the Hawthorne bridge, and then (mostly) up Clinton Avenue back to the hotel on 92nd and Stark St. I had rode the Hawthorne Bridge many times on my bike, but it was much easier now, as the wooden planks had been replaced with a solid platform. Here’s the Garmin, and a photo while crossing the bridge…

Hawthorne Bridge Crossing

On returning to the hotel, I threw everything in the car and dashed home. My ole BMC was a wonderful bike to do all of this riding, and it proved immense comfort and efficiency. Someday, I’d like to do the Larch Mountain climb. I’ve already worked out with Aaron to return to Oregon for the Crater Lake loop. I need to do much more riding with Gaylon, getting him into a little longer endurance rides. Altogether, it was a delightful and successful trip. Besides bicycle riding, I got to stop in at Powells Book Store, Bob’s Red Mill, and REI, as well as several bicycle shops. I should be back in Portland at the end of the STP in July, and hopefully one more time this summer for some riding.